Mahatma Life of Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi

RECRUITING SERGBAXT 277
orderliness, sanitation, decent composite life and cultivation of simple
and clean tastes is being lost.59 Among the many suggestions that
he made, were: "Let the people in high places, the Viceroy, the
commander-in-chief, the rajas, rnaharajas3 the imperial councillors
and others, who generally travel in superior classes, without previous
warning, go through the experiences now and then of third class
travelling. We would then soon see a remarkable change in the
conditions of third class travelling."
In the midst of his multifarious activities, Gandhi was invited by
Lord Chelmsford, the Viceroy, on April 27, 1918, to attend the War
Conference at Delhi. Gandhi responded to the invitation, but had
objections to taking part in the conference, the principal one being
the exclusion from it of leaders like Tilak, Mrs. Besant and the Ali
brothers. On reaching Delhi, Gandhi addressed a letter explaining
his hesitation to take part in the conference. The Viceroy called
Gandhi for a discussion and told him that if he agreed that the
empire had been, on the whole, a power for good, he should help the
British during the critical year. The Viceroy pleaded: "You may
raise whatever moral issues you like and challenge us as much as
you please after the conclusion of the war, not today."
During the conference, the Viceroy requested Gandhi to support
the resolution on recruiting. Gandhi insisted that he should be
permitted to" speak in Hindustani and the Viceroy agreed. He spoke
but one sentence to this effect: "With a full sense of my responsibility
I beg to support the resolution."
The conference over, Gandhi wrote a letter to the Viceroy stating
what the people expected of him. The letter had to be sent to Simla
where the Viceroy had gone immediately afler the conference. The
letter had for Gandhi great significance and sending it by post was
not to his liking. He elected Rev. Ireland of the Cambridge Mission
to hand it personally at the Viceregal Lodge.
With the Viceroy's consent, the letter was released to the press:
"I recognize that in the hour of its danger we must give, as we have
decided to give, ungrudging and unequivocal support to the empire
of which we aspire in the near future to be partners in the same sense
as the dominions overseas. But it is the simple truth that our response
is due to the expectation that our goal will be reached all the more
speedily. On that account, even as performance of duty automati-
cally confers a corresponding light, people are entitled to believe